Crockpot virgin here

[Mind_your_head]

I'm making dinner in a crockpot tonight FOR THE VERY FIRST TIME! My family gave me a crockpot as a gift, now I've got to at least try it. I've got a frozen pizza in the frig, JUST IN CASE this doesn't turn out.

:scared: :scared:

[Midlodemocrat]

1. My family would starve without the crock pot.

[Guy Fawkes]

2. see, I read that as "crackpot virgin"....

oops.

[KitchenWitch]

7. I did too!

dyslexia is often a great source of humor!

:rofl: (I am dyslexic so I can laugh about it)

[Mind_your_head]

8. I KNEW that was gonna happen! n/t

[KitchenWitch]

10. You have been copycatted!

:evilgrin:

Crockpot cooking is easy, almost painless, and wonderful.

[Mind_your_head]

11. Copycatted at least TWICE I see......

...ah, you lil witch you. ;-)

(Actually, the meal doesn't look like its turning out too bad so far....only 6 more hours to go....*sigh*)

[WritingIsMyReligion]

15. Same here.

:spank:

[BikeWriter]

3. I never had a problem with crockpot cooking.

[XemaSab]

4. Are you drunk?

It's traditional to be drunk out of your gourd your first time.

:shrug:

[Mind_your_head]

9. No, not yet......but that might be a good idea.....

....drink for 8-10 hours while waiting for this stuff to cook. Hmmmm.....I think I did see that in the instructions now that ya mention it....

:beer:

[XemaSab]

5. Or stoned?

Stoned works too...

[Shell Beau]

6. They are easy as pie to use! They are your friend!

[In_The_Wind]

12. *warning* Crockpots are addicting!

There's nothing better (when you're tired from a long day away from home) than to walk back into a house that smells like something good is waiting for you.

Check out the crockpot cook books for great dishes.

[Samurai_Writer]

13. Get this cookbook

"Not your Mother's Slow Cooker Cookbook"

I just got a crockpot for the first time in November, and this book, and it's got GREAT recipes in it. Did you know you can bake a cake in a crockpot? And bread? And enchiladas? It's not just for stews anymore.

[leftyladyfrommo]

14. Listen. I blew up two kitchens and I can use a crockpot so

you can too.

I am not exactly Ms. Domestic. The only trouble with the crockpot is that it takes so long for stuff to get done.

[CaliforniaPeggy]

16. Crockpots have saved my miserable life on more

than one occasion!

They are wonderful! Hope your meal turned out.......

:hi:

[Penndems]

17. You'll love it!

I fixed Beef Stroganoff for my husband Wednesday night in my crock pot.

Great for pot roast, chili and stews, too!

[ScreamingMeemie]

18. Everything tastes good in a crockpot. Stick a pair of leather

boots in there with carrots, onions, potatoes and boullion and 7 hours later, you have the most wonderful dinner of your life. You can't go wrong with a crockpot. I have one with the Green Bay Packers logo all over it. :hi: Have fun with it. Mac and Cheese int he crock pot is awesome. :hi:

[billyskank]

19. lolololol !

"I have one with the Green Bay Packers logo all over it." :rofl:

:loveya:

[ScreamingMeemie]

20. MrG bought it for Christmas for me the year the Packers went to the

Super Bowl...everything tastes better in that pot.:rofl:

It drives my mil nuts, because it's "tacky". ;) :loveya:

[ChoralScholar]

21. I thought you were going to tell us

you spotted the Virgin Mary in something you were cooking in the crock pot!

[Benfea]

22. Get familiar with Japanese recipes

An awful lot of Japanese food is cooked right at the table and a crockpot can be used as a substitute for some of the things that are normally used in modern Japanese households.

The easiest is sukiyaki. Just ask your butcher to cut whatever meat into thin slices (1/8" or so). You can use whatever veggies you like, but I usually use green onions (cut them big enough so that everyone can handle them with chopsticks), Chinese cabbage, and carrots (cut into somewhat thick disks... remember: chopstick-sized).

The sauce is easy, easy, easy. You can find lots of sukiyaki recipes on the web, but do not use ginger or garlic as many recipes suggest.

• Soy sauce
  
• Aji mirin (sweet rice wine. You can substitute sherry, but aji mirin is widely available even at normal grocery stores these days)
  
• Sugar (preferrably brown)
  
• Hon dashi (Japanese instant broth. Increasingly available at normal grocery stores. If you can't find it at a normal store, it'll definitely be available at your nearest Asian grocery.)

You don't have to worry about amounts. Really. The only hard part for you is cutting up the veggies. During dinner, you let everyone toss in meat, veggies, and sauce ingredients. They can toss in as much or as little of whatever they like, whenever they like. That's the whole fun of sukiyaki.

Serve with a side of white rice.